25 Days of Christmas - A Rose for Christmas
by TheTravelBug
Summary: 25 stories of Christmas with Rose Tyler and TenToo, none longer than 1000 words. What will their first Christmas in Pete's world be like? Have they gotten to know each other well enough to make it work?
1. Day 1 Mistletoe

_**A/N:** So, I'm doing this 25 Days of Christmas fiction writing ( post/ 36455214490/ youve-heard-of-the-25-days-of-christmas). It's no competition or anything, it's just for fun and I'm doing it for Doctor Who and Castle. I do hope I will actually be focused enough to write every single day which I should do but yeah... you know me, I'm not always very committed even to things I like... Anyway, enjoy some Rose and TenToo goodies. It is set after Journey's End and it's their first Christmas together._

_Oh and there's a word for each day ;D_

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**Day 1 - Mistletoe**

"Doctor, what are you doing?"

"Nothing!" he almost screamed.

He'd been very cheeky all morning long and she was getting a little bit curious, "It's not Christmas yet. You can't be trying to hide stuff already."

"Rose Tyler, you should know me better by now. I always hide stuff."

She shook her head, smiling at him and he grinned back at her.

"And you know," he added, "this is actually my first Christmas season. Normally I don't even realise when you people celebrate Christmas."

"Unless you crash land on earth and sleep through an invasion of aliens."

"I still saved the day. And, don't forget, without this day I wouldn't even exist!"

She smiled tenderly at him and nodded. "That is true," she said as she thought back to that day when the Doctor had his hand cut off by a Sycorax and how years later that hand had grown into a human Doctor, the one that was standing so stiffly in the doorway now attempting to hide whatever he'd been trying to do.

Rose realised now that the Doctor had been acting a little bit strange for the whole of last week, like he was up to something. Back with the Time Lord Doctor she would've known that he was planning a trip to a new planet that he'd only heard about but that was absolutely safe only for them to end up in a place where the aliens ate Time Lords for breakfast if they could. Here it was something different. There was no TARDIS that could take them away, there were aliens all right but they came to them not the other way around and she still couldn't always quite read the Doctor's intentions. He was her Doctor, there was no doubt about that but he had a lot of Donna in him too and that part she wasn't used to and had still trouble reading.

"Rose?" he suddenly said and pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Would you mind doing me a favour?"

"Sure."

"I think there's no milk left and I really fancy a nice cup of tea right now."

"Why don't you go get some milk yourself?"

"Because I'm busy."

She raised an eyebrow. "Busy, huh… With what exactly?"

"That's a surprise."

"HA! That means you _are_ up to something!"

"Please?" he just asked and looked at her with a cheeky smile and a sparkle in his eyes that she could hardly refuse. She was sure there was still a full bottle of milk in the fridge but she wanted to know what he was up to and the only way to find out was by letting him do whatever he was planning to do. She grabbed her coat because it was getting cold now and after raising an eyebrow at him again, she walked passed him and out the front door.

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When she got back half an hour later and opened the door, she could smell coffee and he never drank coffee without milk which proved that there really was milk left in the fridge.

"Craving tea…right…" she mumbled as she walked into their kitchen.

He was standing at the sink and saw her come in. A wide grin appeared on his face and he told her to stop where she was.

Taken by surprise, she stopped and stared at him while he came up to her and locked his eyes on hers. It wasn't like they weren't close every now and then but they'd only just started to sleep in the same bed again so her heart started to race faster.

They had held hands and they had kissed each other every now and then but it had taken some getting used to again. They had both changed quite a lot from who they used to be when they travelled together before. Rose was a strong independent woman now; the Doctor was human and had some of Donna's treats in his personality. It wasn't the easiest thing to be together but somehow, December seemed to be the right month to move things forward again and he'd been planning on it for a while now.

As he stood in front of her now he could see that she was getting a little bit irritated and he put his hand out and twisted a strand of her blond hair in his fingers.

Her expression softened a little bit when his fingers touched her cheek but she still looked grumpy. He just smiled at her though and looked up and she followed his example. While she was gone he'd put a mistletoe up on every door in the flat and wherever he could and now Rose laughed.

"Is that supposed to be a hint?"

"Maybe" he replied with a wide smile.

"It's not like we never kiss."

"No, but I think it's time to make it a habit again, don't you agree?"

And Rose smiled at him, tongue stuck between her teeth and he leaned in closer to her, hesitating only for a moment and then pressed his lips against hers. She dropped the bag with the milk in it and gave in to the kiss, locking her hands in his hair and pulling him closer.

"Yes, we definitely need to make it a habit again," she whispered when they finally let go of each other, "But we don't need mistletoes for that, my love."


	2. Day 2 Hot Chocolate

_**A/N:** On we go with the little story =) I apologise for the bad quality, I seem to be too exhausted from the one day trip to Germany from England...-.-" Anyway, I hope you enjoy some fluff..._

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**Day 2 – Hot Chocolate**

The mistletoe's definitely weren't needed in the flat any more after the day before but they did find their use every so often anyway. Somehow Rose was very glad that he put them up because it lifted the air a bit and made it easier. She couldn't deny the fact that every so often her thoughts wandered off to the other Doctor in the other universe. Was he all right? Did he miss her at all? She was grateful for what he did for her but she missed him and she couldn't help but think that maybe he was hurting because of what he did. After all, he did say this Doctor was just like him, that this Doctor needed her just as much as he needed her. And she never doubted in the least that this Doctor loved her so that meant the other one had loved her too. Thinking about that hurt and she didn't always know what to do with this feeling.

For quite some time, the Doctor and her had given each other a lot of space even though they both needed each other desperately. But they had to give this Doctor valid identification first – he was John Smith in this world – a job, a driver's licence and all that and he had to get used to being human and without a TARDIS. They had spent as much time together as they could, gotten to know each other again and figured out what the Doctor liked and what not. His Donna Noble side was quite strong sometimes and it made Rose laugh with joy when he had an outburst. During the first few months they'd figured out that his favourite food was still chips and cookies, his favourite drink was coffee or a good cup of tea, he hated too much wind combined with rain, he had mood swings that could range from being very cuddly to almost cold and reserved and he was a very bad driver. The last one never surprised Rose, she'd seen his driving skills with the TARDIS.

All these random thoughts passed through her mind as she was lying in bed on the second day of December.

The Doctor was still sound asleep next to her, tangled up in the duvet, his hairy legs sticking out every now and then and his hair in a huge mess. His eyelids twitched every so often and Rose assumed he was dreaming. In order to not wake him, she sat up very gently and placed one foot after the other on the floor. Then she got up and tiptoed to his side of the bed, picked up his jumper and put it on. Slowly and very quietly she moved out of the room and closed the door behind her. Once she got to the kitchen she opened the fridge and saw the huge amount of milk in there. Two bottles that had been there before she went to buy two additional ones because of the Doctor's little distraction to have her out of the flat. She shook her head and took a bottle out, emptied it into a pan. Ten minutes later she had settled down on the couch, cuddled up in the jumper and a blanket, her feet propped up on the sofa, a good book in one hand and a huge cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top in the other.

She was so focused on her book and the story – she'd read it before in her world but it was slightly different in this one and it fascinated her – that she didn't hear him coming into the room. She only realised he was there after he stuck his finger into the whipped cream on top of her chocolate and spread it over her nose.

"Hey!" she exclaimed but he just grinned at her.

"Suits you."

She stuck her tongue out to him and was about to brush the whipped cream off with her sleeve but he stopped her, leaned down and kissed it off her nose.

"Not only does it suit you, it makes you taste even nicer."

She slapped him with his book. "That's my hot chocolate. Make your own."

"Nah, I prefer yours," he replied, biting off more whipped cream from the cup.

"I bet you do," Rose grumbled but held out her cup to him and he sipped from it, before he pushed her to the side to sit behind her on the couch.

"That really is one thing that hasn't changed, you're still rude."

"I'm just keeping you company."

"No, you're keeping me from enjoying my hot chocolate and my book."

He chuckled and she could feel the vibration of his chest all over her body and she shuddered. It felt too good having him so close again so she put her book down, lifted herself off the couch and made him move a bit to the right. He looked at her with questioning eyes but she just smiled and sat down again, her knees over his legs so he couldn't move.

The Doctor gave her a wide smile and once she had the blanked over her and the Doctor again, he handed her the chocolate and she sipped from it, licking her lip after that.

Rose was about to pick up her book again but after the Doctor had taken the cup out of her hand again and sipped from it himself, she looked at him and started laughing.

"Nice moustache," she said with a smirk, grabbed his nighty and pulled him in to lick the cream off his lip. The Doctor grumbled and immediately reacted to her touch, pressing his lips against hers, kissing her hungrily.

"You taste like hot chocolate and cinnamon and my Rose," the Doctor mumbled and she chuckled, pulling him closer once more.

"The book will have to wait," she whispered in his ear, dragging him further down to her.


	3. Day 3 Snow

_**A/N**: I'm off to the cinema which is why you're getting this now instead of later ;D I am in an extremely fluffy mood, something I am normally not. I don't know what it is but I guess writing a Christmas fic asks for fluff...so yeah, here you go, enjoy ;D_

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**Day 3 Snow**

They were both at work on the third of December. Rose was mostly in her office, making calls to the other Torchwood quarters or in the monitor room, checking for alien activity while the Doctor was in the lab, trying to build things he thought were essential to live with – like a new sonic. He was actually just working with them as a temporary measure. It wasn't that he didn't have enough knowledge of aliens, no one would deny he was the most capable person to work at Torchwood, but his nature just didn't allow him to basically do nothing. They've let him work in every single department but managed to make the biggest chaos in each of them so they stuck him in the lab where he could hardly do any harm except to himself, which had Rose worried senseless.

Since darkness had started to come over this universe, the temperatures had always been very mild and only in the past month had they started to adjust again, so when at mid-day the Doctor stormed into Rose's office jumping around like a little kid with the biggest grin on his face, she didn't quite know what to make of it.

"Did you manage to build a sonic?" she asked sceptically which made his expression go a little sulky.

"No."

"So why are you so happy?"

"Rose Tyler, I am always happy. But look!" He emphasised the word "look" so she had no choice but to turn around and look outside the window where her eyes got blinded by the very bright light. It was snowing and the sunlight that managed to get through the clouds here and there broke on the thousands and thousands of snowflakes.

She turned around again and looked into his sparkling eyes and it was so infectious that she couldn't help but break out into a wide grin herself, her tongue stuck between her teeth and then she broke out into a joyous laugh.

The two of them just looked at each other for a few seconds and without saying a word to each other, Rose got up and then they raced each other down six flights of stairs and out into the open with nothing but their everyday cloths on so they were greeted by a very cold day but the snow looked wonderful and it was already sticking to the ground, covering most of the streets and the green of the few grass patches here and there.

Rose realised that in the time that she had been without the Doctor in this world, fun wasn't something she liked to think about. She'd been all focused on finding a way back, she hardly let anybody close to her let alone run with her and have fun but since the Doctor was back, pleasure had returned to her life and she started to enjoy it again. She was a grown up independent woman now but deep down she was still the lost girl the Doctor had picked up, the girl that had seen the universe and found her place, the girl who had helped the Doctor find himself again and as she looked at him now, she could see his thoughts were there too.

They could both smell the snow, the cold, the winter atmosphere. They say the sunlight glistening in the snow and everything sparkled and looked wonderful. Rose stuck her tongue out to catch the snowflakes and the Doctor watched her happily. They really were getting there now. They had found each other again, had found their place together and both of them knew they wanted to make it work. The snow was only another thing that brought them closer together because it was tied to so many memories of when they first met. At least when this version of him first met her.

He tipped his head sideways looking at her with a cheeky grin and then held out his right hand to her. It was like they were back on that Christmas evening when the ashes of the Sycorax ship snowed down on them and they realised they wanted to travel together forever. Rose remembered how freaked out she had been by his hand and how now she was only grateful for it. She grabbed it without hesitation now and with a last look at each other, the Doctor stormed off, never letting go of her hand, dragging her along and both of them laughed.

She knew he was pretending to be on some far away planet with her on a new adventure and she pretended too. Once they were out of breath they stopped and stood still, hands still locked together.

"Which way now?" Rose asked breathless.

The Doctor looked around and then his gaze went up to the sky and even though it was still day and there was no star to be seen he smiled at her and pointed his hand at the sky.

"This way," he said, "to a new beginning of forever."

Rose smiled and nodded. "Forever sounds good to me."


	4. Day 4 Candy Canes

_**A/N:** I apologise for the delay... I really wanted to post this last night but I almost fell asleep while doing it so you get two chapters today... I'm also sorry for the story...I am kinda waiting for an idea to strike me...but well... I'm writing which is good...gives me some practise._

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**Day 4 – Candy Canes**

"Are you seriously eating a Candy cane, Rose?" the Doctor asked as he walked by her office just before lunchtime.

"Don't judge me. It was lying on my desk when I got back after the break and I couldn't just leave it here."

"Where did you get it?"

"I don't know, Secret Santa?" she mumbled through the cane.

"Stop eating it, you won't be hungry anymore if you eat all that sugar. You know what sugar does to your body, right. It…"

"Imma stop you right there, Doctor. I know what sugar does. And don't you go tell me what I can and can't do." She grinned at her boyfriend who stared at her with an eyebrow raised.

"I want chips," the Doctor finally said and Rose chuckled and answered, "Let's get some chips then."

Together they made their way out of Canary Wharf and took a fast train to Hyde Park where the Wonderland Christmas market was stationed. They found a stand that sold chips and they sat on a bench, wrapped up in their warm and fluffy winter coats and boots and still they were rather cold. The Snow was lying pretty thick now and Rose knew that in her world everything would be shut down by now, not working anymore because of too much snow. Here, the technology was good enough to melt the snow where needed and leave it where it wasn't in the way.

They started to eat their chips when Rose saw some candy canes on a little stand.

"What is it with you and candy canes?"  
"I just love them. Mum used to buy me some and told me how dad always had a plan with the sticks. That he was going to use them for something completely different and wonderful and it would enable him to buy a house for us…. Obviously it isn't true but I loved Candy canes…"

"Hm…" the Doctor mused, "I should've taken you to the Mountain of Carr."

"The Mountain of what?"

"The Mountain of Carr," he repeated.

"It's in the Galaxy of Pheresji, about… three thousand light-years away from here. It's a planet that is literally just the one mountain but it is huge. It would take you more than a year to walk around, let alone climb it. But it is beautiful because its surface is covered in blue grass and the sun is as white as the moon and there are trees as bright as stars and they sparkle in colours of yellow and green and red and purple and each of those trees carries fruits and they look like candy canes but depending on the tree you get eatable ones and poisonous ones of healthy ones and sick-making ones. The whole planet is inhabited by the Carr. Little creatures with four ears, two noses but no eyes. They use something like sonar to orientate themselves and they harvest the candy trees. They can smell which ones are good and which ones are bad and if you find a good one you can keep it. But the three actually has to stay on the planet or it would die. Even the TARDIS could never keep one alive. They are a very kind folk. Kind of strange but really, really kind."

"You know, if I hadn't travelled with you through space and time I would not believe you. At all. But I know what strange planets lie out there so I guess I'll just have to trust you."

They both picked on their chips and were lost in thought for a while.  
"If the TARDIS grows…and if it works before we get too old, you could maybe still take me. I'd love to see it," Rose mumbled between bites and the Doctor grinned at her.

"If she does I will take you to so many more places than just the Mountain of Carr, Rose. You and I, off to see the universe again."

"I'd like that very much. But this here is good too."

He nodded and then went on to ask her a question.

"Rose…what did you do on Christmas when I wasn't here?"

Rose looked at him and sadness crossed her eyes.

"The first time along we were still settling in. Mum was so happy that she got another chance of Christmas with dad. And as similar as our world's Pete and this Pete are, he has a way of calming mum down when my real dad only made her angrier. I think this world's Pete and my mum make a better couple than the Jackie he had when we first met him. I tried to be happy, I tried to enjoy it for mum but it wasn't easy. I thought I'd never see you again. I didn't enjoy it and believe me, Mickey tried everything. Ice skating, Christmas shopping, mulled wine, chestnuts, everything but nothing helped. It was after Christmas that I decided I couldn't accept the fact that I'd never see you again. That's when I started working on the dimension cannon. The next Christmas was easier. I had little Tony to take care of. It was his first Christmas and I wanted to make it special for him even though he might not remember. I'm glad I did it because it could've been our only Christmas together. But if you're asking to know how I like this Christmas time now… It's the best I had in a long time. Christmas with you has always been the best even with alien invasions and all that stuff."

The Doctor looked at her with a serious face, one that he didn't have very often. He studied her to see if she really was enjoying herself – it was quite obvious that she did – and then from one second to the other he broke out into a wide grin, got up on his dangly legs, grabbed her hand and dragged her up.

"Let's find us some aliens then," he exclaimed happily and the beautiful bell-like laugh that he loved so much rolled off her tongue as they ran through the stands with no aim in mind.


	5. Day 5 Christmas Tree

_**A/N:** Like I said, today's chapter as well. And thanks for you guys who have subscribed and reviewed and stuff =)_

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**Day 5 – Christmas Tree**

"I want this one!" said the squeaky voice of Jackie's youngest child.

"He's definitely your son, mum," Rose winked as Tony grinned at them all from behind the Doctor's back where he was currently comfortably stationed.

Meanwhile the Doctor wasn't grinning at all, he was raising an eyebrow at the huge, at least 18 foot tall fir tree that he and Pete would have to help put up. Not because they couldn't afford helpers or anything but because it was apparently their tradition that the men put up the Christmas tree.

"Doktaaaah?"

Tony's voice dragged him out of his thoughts and he peered sideways to look at the little boy.

"Hm?"

"Can we have it?"

"Don't ask me, little man, ask your dad or your mum or even your sister. I have nothing to do with it. Although, I would like to remind you all of our experience with Christmas trees."

"Oh shush, this isn't there and we're picking it ourselves, are we not," Jackie shut him up.

Rose just looked at him with amusement reflecting in her eyes and he grumbled but walked over to her.

"Why does your mum still hate me?"

"She doesn't hate you."

"Yeah, I know that but why?"

"Because she doesn't want to see me again like I was before. And I've told you that so many times already…"

"I know but still." He looked back at the tree and examined it.

"Abies Alba, silver fir. Not something you'd normally find in England. It's more of a mountain fir. But I guess since we're in a different universe the species has adapted. Abies Alba has an essential oil that has soothing qualities. Maybe that's why so many people use it as a Christmas tree. It smells soothing…"

"You sound like a lexicon…Nothing new but you really do sound like a lexicon. Like, if I wanted to know something I would just have to say the word and you'd spit all the facts out about it…" Rose laughed. She hadn't even heard half of what the Doctor had said about the tree but she knew it wasn't that important.

"And now Tony's falling asleep on your shoulder…"

"I can hear it, his breathing is slowing down."

"Come on, hand him over."

"No, he's fine where he is and I won't let him fall down."

"Yeah right… like you didn't let him fall down when you built that bloody tree-house, or how you didn't let him fall when he was running after that stupid miniature plane of yours or how you…"

"Yes, yes. You made your point clear, I'm still keeping him on my back," he replied, tilting his head sideways and grinning at her.

She could never resist his grin so she let him be while she went looking for her mother who had disappeared behind some other trees.

She found her staring at a slightly smaller tree and Rose hoped they'd go for the smaller one. Decorating the tree took forever even so.

"Mum," she announced herself and Jackie turned around.

"Oh, hello. Where have you left the boys?"

"Back with the other tree. Tony fell asleep."

"He's had a couple of busy days at nursery school. They're putting on a play. Hey, that reminds me. Do you think the Doctor could go to the school tomorrow and help them out? He's good with the kids and they need a couple of extra hands with the costumes and all that."

"You know we only keep him in the lab because that's where he can make the smallest mess, right? So yeah, I'm sure he'd love it. Although I'm not too sure if we should let him lose on all those kids."

"They'll be fine, Tony's there too so the Doctor will behave."

"Let's hope so," Rose expressed grinningly. She'd probably go and have a look herself just to make sure.

"Have you seen Pete?" Jackie asked but Rose shook her head. "Not since the third tree."

She looked around to try and find her father and actually spotted him about ten trees to the right. She pointed her mother in his direction while she went to get the Doctor and her little brother who was still happily drooling on the Doctor's shoulder.

Fifteen minutes later they were all together again, standing around an only 13ft tree that they all liked, ordered it and then they left the Christmas Tree market to get a hot chocolate at the Tyler's mansion outside London. Tony woke up on the way home, grumpy that he didn't know what the tree looked like and before Pete could tell him that it looked like a tree, the Doctor started to tell him a story of how children aren't supposed to know what their Christmas Tree looked like because it had to be a surprise like the presents and Tony was hanging on every word the Doctor said, promising he would not even try to find out what the tree looked like.


	6. Day 6 Angel

_**A/N:** Like I mentioned in the Castle 25 Days fic, I went to the cinema yesterday and was too exhausted to finish the chapters. You'll get the one for today tonight when I get back from my shopping tour =) _  
_For now, enjoy. I'm actually kind of fond of this chapter ;D_

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**Day 6 – Angel**

At nine o'clock the next morning, Rose dropped the Doctor off at Tony's nursery school. She wasn't quite sure if it was a good idea but she had to go to work and she'd seen him with Tony, she knew he was good with kids. There really shouldn't be anything that could go wrong. At least she thought so. That was, until she got a call at lunch time when the school asked her to come by.

"Oh, what did he do now?" she asked over the phone but the schools secretary told her not to worry.

Naturally that wasn't something Rose was good at, not worrying. She was always worried when it came to the Doctor so she rushed out of the office and drove to the school. It was still lunchtime when she arrived and the secretary led her through to the main hall where everybody was eating. Well, everybody except a group of about twenty kids who were all sitting around the Doctor who was telling them some story about some space ship that looked like the Titanic and how they had robot angels who were really not very nice and the kids were all hanging on his lips, Tony included.

"Well…I've expected worse…" Rose mumbled and the secretary laughed.

"I told it's nothing to worry about. It's just that it's been like that for about half the morning, the teachers have no chance of teaching the kids, he's got them all wrapped around his fingers."

"He tends to have that effect on everybody, believe me…"

"I've noticed, yes. At least we now know where your brother always comes up with his crazy stories."

Rose smiled at the secretary and started walking towards the Doctor and the kids. "They're not just stories, they are the Doctor's life…" she finally said as she stepped behind Tony. That's when the Doctor spotted her and looked up.

"Rose!" he almost roared. "Istn't this brilliant! Look at all these lovely kids, aren't they utterly brilliant and wonderful?!"  
Rose giggled and nodded. She only just now spotted what the Doctor was wearing. He had a pair of angel wings tucked at his back, probably the ones he'd been trying to help the kids make for their Christmas carol concert/play.

"Look, they love me!" he grinned and he looked at the kids who all started to giggle. Rose had her little brother grasping her leg and looking up at her.

"Rose?" he sang, still not quite able to form the 'R' so it sounded more like 'Lose', "Can the Doctah come here every day now?" he inquired and Rose patted his head.

"I'm not sure that's a very wise idea, little fella. But we'll see. Now. Since there isn't a severe problem, may I have a look at what you've been doing all morning?" she asked not just Tony but all the kids and the Doctor who in turn looked at the kids as well.

"Shall we?" he queried with a tip of his head to the side, a raised eyebrow and a sly grin.

The kids obviously all sprang up at once and encouraged the ones who were eating, to drop everything and get dressed to perform some of what they've learned.

Meanwhile, Rose walked closer to the Doctor, who'd gotten up himself and she examined his pair of wings.

"Suits you," she admitted and made him turn around.

"Ooooh, Rose, wait till you see us, you're going to enjoy it. It's so much fun with the little ones. It's like being on a completely different adventure but it's equally fun and almost as equally dangerous…"

"Dangerous?! What did you do?"

"I? I didn't do anything, promise! I just… told them a few stories and they started to uhm… play them out…"

"Oh Doctor, I can't ever leave you alone, can I."

"I told you that I need you. Well…he did but that's the same thing."

_He_ didn't come up often in their conversations because it was hurtful for both of them and when he did it was just in tiny ways like this. Rose's expression changed for only a second as she remembered the other Doctor in the other universe having to travel to the stars without her. If he ever thought about her? If he ever thought about _them_?

The noise of the kids brought her back to reality and she laughed light-heartedly. The kids from the nursery school were all wearing little angel wings like the Doctor's and the older kids from Key Stage 1 and 2 had different costumes. Some were wearing antlers, some had Santa hats, others had wings as well. They looked super cute and adorable and as the set themselves up in front of her and the music teacher joined them, the Doctor went to stand with them.

The music teacher turned to Rose and whispered, "He's got a very influencing touch, he's got them all caught up in everything they do, I haven't seen them this focused in a while."

Rose smiled merrily. "Yeah, he knows how to handle them. Maybe it's what he should do more often, work with kids. It suits him…"

The music teacher nodded and turned around to look at her group of children and then started to play to Rocking around the Christmas Tree and the kids all started to chime in and dance around and the biggest kid of them all was probably the Doctor.

Rose watched as he was dancing with around with his dangly legs and arms, pretending to run around an imaginary Christmas tree and laughing with the kids when they bumped into each other and Rose couldn't help but laugh with them all. She saw how much fun the Doctor was having and when he grabbed her hand and made her dance with them, she didn't refuse. She even agreed to stay the afternoon and help the school finishing up on the costumes and help with the rehearsals and everything and she enjoyed it immensely. Every now and then the Doctor tried to steal a kiss and he made a challenge out of it so the kids wouldn't see – one of them always caught them when he managed to get one. No one realised how quickly the time was running until the school bell rang at three in the afternoon.


	7. Day 7 Pie

_**A/N:** I'm getting very antsy... like...I really need to sleep. It still is the 7th in some places so here you go, a rather short chapter for day 7 of this fic. I'm sorry for it being short, I still kind of like it..._

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**Day 7 – Pie**

The day with the kids had completely exhausted them the previous day but it didn't enable them to not go to Jackie's little advent party in the late afternoon of the . It was something she'd always wanted to do in the other universe, parties for no particular reason and now in this universe she was able to do them and Rose and the Doctor were obviously expected to come.

So after a day at the office for Rose and another day with the kids for the Doctor – yes, they'd really wanted him back – they both swung in to the Tyler's mansion outside of London. The house was decorated with Christmas lights and mistletoes and fir tree branches and everything looked wonderful and like in a fairy tale. There were obviously some other guests present, mostly Pete's associates and some high ranking Politian's who remembered the fabulous parties Jackie threw. There was staff roaming the rooms with plates full of gingerbread cookies, mince pies, yule logs, gingerbread muffins and other sorts of things related to Christmas – candy canes included.

Rose was walking around alone, she'd lost the Doctor somewhere between the hall and the second living room but he'd be fine. He was probably looking for her little brother anyway.

After she ate a certain amount of cookies and cakes she spotted the Doctor in the corner of the room and walked over to him.

"What are you doing?!" she asked astonished and he looked at her like a little boy who had done something wrong.

"Nothing?" he replied and happily munched a minced pie.

"You don't even like mince pies…" she mocked and he looked at her with a questioning look in his brown eyes.

"I don't?! Since when?"

"Since the Christmas dinner with mum after you saved the day from the Sycorax years ago…"

"Oh…yeah…you're right, I do remember that. But that's not true anymore. I love mince pie. I literally can't get enough of them right now. They're delicious."

"Are you sure you're all right?" Rose inquired but the Doctor just nodded. "Oi, don't question me, I've never felt better!" he exclaimed and it dawned very quickly on Rose.

"I know what you have, you're having a Donna attack. You're Donna-part is showing… Do you remember if Donna liked mince pies?"

His face went thoughtful and she could see how his forehead wrinkled in deep thought.

"Actually…yes, you're right. She loved them. She ate almost all of them on her Christmas reception even though we had hardly any time."

"Now that does explain it. Fine, eat as many mince pies as you like, just don't come to me when you feel sick afterwards," she told him giggling and went back into the heart of the party.

It didn't take long for him to find her and she could see from afar that he was on a sugar rush. He was hanging on some girls arm and smiling and laughing merrily.

"Would you like a mince pie," he asked her once he was standing in front of her. He'd dropped the other girls arm a few meters before this but she still looked after her before answering his questions.

"No, thank you , I would not like to eat a mince pie. I've had one and that was more than enough. How many did you have?!"

He looked sheepishly at her and then answered, "about six… but I feel fine!"

"Nah, Doctor, you feel hyperactive."

"Yes, yes, that's a good one. Hyperactive. You want to dance?" he suggested as the music in the background picked up their pace and Rose couldn't refuse.

"Fine," she said, "let's dance and see how long your sugar rush is going to last."

He grinned broadly and took her hand as he did quite a lot again and together they went to the stage that Pete had set up in the hall and there they started to twirl and dance all evening long.


	8. Day 8 Tinsel

_**A/N: **Let me tell you something about weekends during Christmas time… they suck. No, I mean, seriously, I have NO weekend any more that is half way free. I was busy literally from the moment I woke up to the moment I came home late in the night and was too tired to write. But hey, you're getting three chapters today. Next weekend is going to be a bit the same because I'm in Birmingham for the Doctor Who Midnight Convention (OMG, I'M SO EXCITED). Maybe I have some time to write ahead and post earlier or you'll have to wait...I will get all 25 chapter done though, I made that deal with myself ;D Anyway, thanks for all of you who are reading and following the story, putting alerts on and reviewing. I really appreciate each and every one of you!_

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**Day 8 – Tinsel**

When there wasn't too much going on at the Torchwood Institute, the Doctor and Rose could take the same days off if they wanted. They usually made sure to have the same ones anyway and since the Doctor wasn't really working for them, he could come and go as he liked (Rose could've done that too, but she actually had quite a lot of work so she couldn't afford to do the same thing as the Doctor – at least not all the time). However, since they'd known about Jackie's party, they'd both taken the next day off.

It was about mid-day now and Rose was still lying in bed, the Doctor was nowhere to be found. She'd decided to pick up her book again and read and wait. At around half one in the afternoon she heard the lock of the front door click and also heard the grumbling and moaning of the Doctor trying to squeeze through the door. She decided to get up and find out what exactly he was up to and after she put on one of his shirts she walked barefoot through the bedroom and into the living room. She passed through the room just as the Doctor tried to get through the living room door from the hall and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The snow on his hair hadn't completely melted yet, his long and multi-coloured scarf – he loved the thing, she didn't even know why – was hanging around his neck and he was carrying about five carrier-bags in each hands.

"What on earth are you doing?" she asked him and he looked up, only just realising that she was standing there.

"Oh, you're going to love it!" he said with a cheeky undertone and dropped the bags on the floor.

"Am I?"

"Oh yes!"

"What is it?"

"Christmas decoration!" he yelled enthusiastically, arms wide open and almost jumping up and down.

His happiness infected Rose but she still wasn't quite sure where the whole thing was coming from.

"Why?" she asked and he dropped his arms, looking a bit disappointed.

"No Rose, don't ask why! No, no. It's Christmas season. It's the first Christmas season where I'm human and stuck on Earth with no chance of going on an adventure in space – which isn't a bad thing, I'm just saying – and I want to live it as humanly as possible and everyone is putting up Christmas decoration and just look at this place. It's nice and all but there's no Christmas in it yet! Come on, Rose! We have to make it look Christmas-y!"

She listened gleefully and when he finished she laughed heartily.

"Okay, you're right," she said as she looked around the flat. "We really could use some decoration, especially after I saw mum's place last night. If I have to baby sit my little brother here, he'll need at least a little bit of the Christmas feeling I get over at their place."

The Doctor grinned merrily at her, leaned down to empty the bags and Rose stared at him with open eyes.

"Allons-y!" he cheered as he held up a huge bunch of TARDIS blue tinsel and started hanging them over the windows and everywhere else.

"Did I ever tell you that I met a guy named Alonzo?" he asked Rose while walking around the room.

"Nuh-uh," she replied and rummaged through the bags and got out Christmas lights, more tinsel – mostly in TARDIS blue which wasn't surprising but also some red and silver ones – things they could use for a Christmas tree at some point, more Christmas lights but for outside and she just amusedly shook her head, while the Doctor told her the story about the Titanic in space.

"Oh, that's the story you were telling the kids about when I came to school the other day!" she realised and he nodded.

"They loved that story."

"Mhm…they did. They loved you too. You were really great with them."

"I like working with them. They're fun, they're always up for an adventure and some…well…mischief. I need that sometimes."

"I know…" Rose answered sadly. "I sometimes wish we weren't stuck here. I wish we could just go places again, see the world, see the universe. I'm sure there are lots of things out there neither of us have ever seen before. It's a new universe, anything could be out there…"

The Doctor was done with his hand full of tinsel and grabbed one end of the Christmas lights and thrust the other into Rose's hand. She got up and together they started to find a place to hang them so they would not be the only ones to enjoy them.

"We may not be able to travel the universe," the Doctor admitted, "but the world is still here for us to discover. How about we do it in the new year. Go travelling again, you and I, together. Just like old times only with a more restricted area. We could still have a lot of adventures, find new… people, things, maybe discover unknown places or places that are unknown to the people in this universe but old for us. We could do it…"

Rose smiled at him. "I guess we could. But what about work? It's not like we could just come back on the day we left like we used to…that is when you managed to find the right time and didn't miscalculate twelve hours for twelve months…"

"You're still holding this against me?!"

"Of course I am. Mum even more so." She laughed at his shocked face and went to the corner where he was tucking up the lights to kiss him on the cheek. He took that as a 'Don't worry about it' and managed to reply, "Who cares about work, Rose. We don't need to work, not now. We've got enough to keep us going, I'm sure Pete will either give us a car or even a zeppelin –"

"I'm not letting you fly a zeppelin in a million years"

"- where we'd have to get someone to fly it for us. We could just go and see whatever we wanted to. You and me for a whole year. Or more."

"It sounds very good," she breathed, "but let's focus on one thing at the time. You were the one who wanted Christmas decoration…"

The Doctor grinned down at her, taking her hand and pulling her closer to him.

"Maybe I've changed my mind, maybe I've got something else I want even more right now…" he crooned and smiled at her.

"Mmmh, do you?" Rose replied and before she could say more, he kissed her hungrily.


	9. Day 9 Ice Skating

_**A/N:** I am rather fond of this chapter and yeah, it was inspired by the fact that David Tennant doesn't like ice skating and says he can't do it xD Enjoy, I had fun with it =)_

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**Day 9 – Ice Skating**

"Rose! You can't just leave me here!" he screamed at her from the middle of the ice rink at Somerset house. He'd never liked ice skating, he felt terribly unsafe on just a bit of metal on a field full of ice, a place every sane person would avoid. But no, human beings had to invent ice skating, gliding over the ice, like Rose was right now, feeling free and everything. But not for him. He felt unsteady, his long legs unstable and wobbly and he so didn't like it.

"Please Rose, come back!" he whined and Rose gracefully glided back to him, making a perfect circle around him before she stopped in front of him.

"It's really not that hard, Doctor…" she proclaimed and demonstrated a nice pirouette that made him feel dizzy only by looking at her.

"Stop that," he groaned which made her laugh.

"Come one," she insisted, holding out her hand for him. The Doctor took it hesitantly. He was not sure if this was a good idea, Rose was too good at it, she'd go and skate too fast and he would fall and no, he really couldn't.

Rose somehow felt his anxiety and got hold of his hand, grabbing it very tightly so he couldn't let go anymore.

"See the entrance over there?" she pointed at one end of the ice rink, "that's how far you've already made it, so come on, you can do some more."

"And then we can go home?"

"No! Look around you, Doctor. It's beautiful here! Even more beautiful than at home!" Rose looked up into the sky that was unlighted by a few zeppelins hanging in the air with beautiful Christmas lights displayed on them and Somerset house glistening wonderfully with the Christmas lights and the snow. She carefully pulled at his hand and the Doctor made a step forward.

"You don't have to step, Doctor, you have to glide. Look."

She let go of his hand, made one step to get her going and then glided over the ice.

"I know how ice skating works, Rose. The metal puts pressure on the ice, melting it to water and you glide on a film of water. I know the concept, I just can't do it."

"Oh, don't you tell me you can't do it. You're always the one telling everyone that nothing is impossible if you just want it badly enough. So go on, you can do it."

"But I can't. I'm way too unstable. My legs are too long."

"Stop moaning… See that guy over there?" she asked and pointed ahead of them, where a guy who was at least a head taller than the Doctor was gliding merrily over the ice with his two kids at his side.

The Doctor grumbled but didn't move.

"Okay, I'm going to try something with you now…" Rose warned him as she skated behind him and placed her hands flat on his back.

"Rose?! What are you doing?!"

"I'm going to push you. You don't have to do anything, just stand and keep your balance. Then you'll feel what it's like to glide, okay?"

"No…"

"Ready?"

"No…"

"Okay then, here we go…" she gave as a last warning and then started to push him. He was leaning too much into her hands on his back so his balance suffered and before any of them could do anything he landed on his behind.

Rose couldn't help herself, she laughed out loud and glided around him to help him up. Naturally, the Doctor blaming Rose for his fall, he accepted her hand but instead of letting her help him up, he dragged her down so she fell over him. He earned himself a punch for that but they were both giggling, trying to get up again.

"I told you I can't do it," he knew better but Rose didn't accept that.

"Nah, you just rely on me to do the work. Lean forward with your upper body," she instructed and placed her hands on either side of his hips now.

"Ready?"

"No."

"Oh shush, you! Lean forward. Yeah, that's it, here we go," she said and started to push him forwards again. This time it worked much better until she told him to lift one foot and place it in front of the other.

"But you told me not to step!"

"You've got to get your own speed from somewhere, Doctor!"

"But.."

"Just do it!" and he did which made him fall over again because he tried to tiptoe which caused him to topple over.

"If I end up being black and blue all over tomorrow, I'm blaming you, young woman," he groaned but Rose just laughed.

"You do that. But by the end of this hour you'll be able to ice skate without my help and then you'll be happy."

"You wish…"  
He'd managed to get up again and Rose decided to try something new again.  
"Okay. Let's try it differently," she offered and placed herself in front of him. Her hands went to his hips again and he grabbed her arms with his hands to steady himself.

"Right. You don't have much space to use your legs now but balancing might be easier. Start with your right foot forward," she explained as she placed her left foot behind her, leaned forward with her upper body to get a bit more space and then tried to get a tiny amount of speed that would allow her to glide. The Doctor followed her instruction and placed his left foot where her right foot used to be.

"Step down earlier and push your right foot into the ice…"

Again, he did as he was told and it was indeed easier like this. He could keep his balance because Rose was helping him keep steady and making baby steps made him get a feel for what he had to do. They went on like that for the rest of the time they had on the ice rink, either Rose helped him stay steady or she pushed him so he could gain some speed. They fell over many times more but had a lot of fun as well. By the end of the hour the Doctor was still really unsteady on his legs and the ice skating shoes but he managed to very slowly skate – he almost glided – back to the entrance/exit which made Rose very happy.

"Tomorrow we're going to use the ice rink at Canary Wharf for you to practise, it's nice and it's close to work," she remarked and evoked a grimace from the Doctor's face that made her laugh.

"You'll be fine," she reassured him but he wasn't convinced.

"We'll see…" he only said and was happy he had solid ground under his feet again.


	10. Day 10 Frost

_**A/N:**_ _Why did I start this? I am way too busy this next few weeks, I have hardly any time to write let alone pre-write for this weekend and ugh…You'll just get your updates whenever I find the chance to… but I will get all the 25 chapters done…;D_

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**Day 10 – Frost**

On December the tenth, nothing in London worked any more. So much about the better system during winter. It was getting colder and colder, so cold in fact, that frost and ice was covering almost everything. The snow had gotten hard, you couldn't just pick it up any more to form a snowball, it would've cut your hand and it was almost hard enough to walk on top of it – well, cats could…and smaller dogs but still.

Jack Frost had worked his magic all over the country and it was actually quite nice. No one had to go to work unless they were working from home, the roads were empty and everyone who dared to go outside was walking in the middle of the streets and everywhere else.

Rose sat in one of the window seats they had in their apartment and watched the people wrapped up in as many layers as possible hurry along the streets.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor's voice called her out of her thoughts.

"Hm?" she asked, only then realising what he'd asked so she answered, "people watching. It's fascinating."

He frowned at her. "You like to watch people?"

"Oh, I'm sure you must have noticed. You like it too, you just wouldn't admit it. And if you don't then I'm sure Donna did."

"No, no, don't get me wrong. I do love to watch people, but I don't get why you would. They're humans. They're individuals, yes, but generally they're the same. I find them fascinating to watch because being human is new to me and before I wasn't human so I wanted to know how you live but for you…"

"Doctor, believe me, it's the best entertainment you can get." She patted on the window sill to motion him to her and he sat down opposite her, watching out of the window, their legs kind of entangled with each other because there wasn't too much space.

"See how they're all hurrying about and trying not to fall over because it's icy and frost has settled everywhere and how some walk really fast when they're alone and others really slow…"

"It is quite interesting indeed… You know…" he mused, "the way everything looks at the moment…it reminds me of a planet I once went to. Well, two of them, one was the Planet of the Ood, the other one was Nivglaschos, the planet of endless snow and ice."

"You went to the planet of the Ood?"

"Yeah, Donna and I ended up there. They foretold us the Doctor Donna. Her and me."

"I really liked the Ood. I'm glad they're still out there…"

"They actually had quite a sad story…their speaking bulbs…they actually carry their brain there…"

"Really?!"

The Doctor nodded sadly and Rose just looked at him.

"What about that other planet?" she finally asked and the Doctor woke from his trance.

"Oh, wonderful! It's beautiful, absolutely brilliant. The aliens who live there are made of ice, you can't touch them without sticking to them. It's bloody freezing too because they'd melt if it weren't and everything on the planet is snow and ice and it glistens in the moon light. That's all they have, five moons and they never go out, they shine like the sun so basically they're more suns than moons but their light isn't as strong so it doesn't get warm and the trees are made out of ice too but they grow fruits and they have the most wonderful flowers you have ever seen. They call them Ice Roses. Lovely, huh… New trees grew out of everything. If the right Ice alien touched something, a tree could grow out of it.

Then there were snow aliens too. Made out of snow, very easily broken. Wind could easily blow them apart. And, the reason why I'm telling you this, they had an alien they called Jaco Pagrina which sounded differently in their language but that's what it translates to and it actually means Jack Frost. So I was on a planet of snow and ice with a guy who was called Jack Frost and he was a bit like a creator, he very often formed new ice people and he made sure it was cold enough and when the light of the moons got too bright he'd shield them all from it. He looked more solid than the others, I never found out what he was made of though… He made the most beautiful ice sculptures you've ever seen. He was also something of a mind reader. I helped them out with a tiny problem they had… somehow their planet wasn't turning right and instead of having three moons out for the day and just one for two for the night, they suddenly had just one for the day and four for the night. Everything kind of shifted because they're planet got out of balance and I helped them restore everything back to normal so Jaco Pagrina decided to give me a present before I left and you remember how I said that those Ice Roses were the most beautiful I've ever seen? Well, Jack Frost made me an even more beautiful one. It had the most delicate ice petals that reflected the light so it looked like it had colours and in the middle there weren't just more petals, there was a face…the face of a Rose. Your face. Jack Frost had given me the closest thing to a perfect present that day and he didn't even know about you…"

He sat quiet again and Rose looked at him, moved but also a bit sceptical.

"Sometimes I wonder about what you say is real and what is made up."

"Believe me Rose, it's true. I think it's still somewhere in the TARDIS, I'm almost certain he would've kept it. I would've. It was gorgeous."

"So…" she mused after she'd accepted the story for the truth,"You've met Jack Frost then…"

The grin that spread across her face made him laugh out loud. Rose always knew what the most important part of one of his stories was.


	11. Day 11 Eggnog

_**A/N:** I had this chapter laid out in my head perfectly. Funny and happy and what not. And then I started writing and my fingers didn't want to do what I had planned but instead found their own way over the keyboard and wrote a different story to the one I wanted to write... this one's... not angsty but not fluffy either... I'll try to write the next one right now...but it's 1am and I should really be going to sleep or I won't be able to work properly tomorrow...xD_

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**Day 11 – Eggnog**

It was the day of the day of the Torchwood Christmas party and Rose already feared it. She didn't even know if the Doctor had ever been to a company Christmas party which wasn't even the actual problem. Christmas parties were always something of a must to her. People drank way too much and pretended to be friends with everyone and some two people always ended up having a Christmas party fling with each other that they regretted dearly after the holidays and even though the people at Torchwood were actually more like a family (being run by Pete and Rose it was kind of a given) than a company it still wasn't really the most fun thing to be at. Also, Eggnog. There was always way too much of it. Rose used to like the sweet and creamy alcoholic drink but now she could hardly drink it. Somehow her taste buds had changed over the years in the new universe or maybe things just tasted slightly different than in her universe.

The other thing about the Torchwood Christmas party was, that it was actually a publicity event and that was what worried her the most.

Thanks to Pete, it had been very easy to get the Doctor settled in to the new world. No one ever really asked a question where he came from but in order to get there, he and Rose had to appear in public together and that was a disaster – needless to say that she wanted to avoid every public appearance because every single one turned out to be a mess.

"Do we really have to go?" the Doctor moaned while Rose tried to fix his black bow tie where it belonged.

"Yes, we do and you know it."

"But it's cold and there are going to be too many photographers and they'll want to talk to us and I'm really not up for it…"

"Doctor, if there is one thing you're good at, it's talking. We'll be fine."

"But the other three public press events have always gone horribly wrong, why should it be different this time?"

"Geez, normally you are the one cheering me up and telling me everything's going to be fine. Come on, we'll survive…"

She finished fixing the bow tie and the Doctor groaned in response to her encouraging words.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. Whenever I wear this suit something bad seems to happen."  
"Change the bloody suit then…"

"Well…it's any kind of black suit…"

"Then don't wear a black suit. But don't you dare getting that dreadful velvety thing of yours."

"Yes ma'am," he replied and then leaned down to kiss her. "We ready to go?" he asked and Rose looked him up and down.

"Ya, I think we're ready."

"Rose?..."

"Hm?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?"  
"No, what?"

He looked down at her feet and she followed his eyes.

"Oh… Now that's something the press would love," she giggled as she looked at her comfy slippers.

She quickly changed into heels and together they walked out of the apartment and got their ride to Canary Wharf.

Like expected, the press was waiting for them and for the first two hours everything went absolutely smooth. The finger food was delicious – the Doctor was almost eating constantly –, the people were well behaved, the entertainment was lovely, Rose's parents were having a good time and so was she and it couldn't have been any better.

And then someone got the eggnog out. For the most part, Rose stayed away from it but someone was walking around and poured it into everyone's glasses. It didn't take long until the first few people were slurring and starting to feel over confident. Some started to dance to the music and Rose tried to find the Doctor.

She found him surrounded by a group of young women, all in training at the Torchwood Institute and Rose immediately saw that he was already a bit drunk.

Back in the days he could hold a lot of alcohol, his Time Lord had quite a different metabolism when it came to alcohol – which didn't mean he never got drunk – but now he was human and he didn't know his limits yet.

"Rose!" he slurred happily when he saw her and he tried to get up. "Rose, why is this so sweet?" he asked and held up his glass full with Eggnog.

"You don't have to drink it, Doctor…"

"But it tastes so nice…"

"No it doesn't. You've only had more than enough of it already…"

She wanted to drag him away from the girls who watched their conversation, prying and listening in, waiting for their opportunity to get the Doctor back without his girlfriend.

This was basically exactly what Rose had feared. The Doctor was getting more and more drunk and it wasn't pretty. The evening turned into night, the party went on and the Doctor was singing and slurring and dancing and most of these things he wasn't doing with Rose because the other girls didn't let him and Rose had definitely enough of it.

Angry she went to the loudspeakers and yanked out all the cables. A loud bang was audible and then it was silent.

"Enough now!" she shouted and walked to the Doctor who had a brunette in his arms who seemed to be a couple years younger than Rose.

"Roooose," the Doctor said again and it sounded like a baby babbling, "What are you doing?"

"We're going home, that's what I'm doing."

She managed to free the Doctor of the brunette's arms and supporting him, they walked to the exit. Unfortunately a lot of the press people had gotten more than plenty shots of the Doctor with other girls and Rose trying to get them off the Doctor. She could already see the headlines; 'Torchwood party turns into jealous girlfriend party' or something stupid like that.

The Doctor was blissfully unaware of all this though, he was drunk as a skunk.


	12. Day 12 Mulled Wine

_**A/N:** I am now so tired that I don't remember what I wrote two seconds ago...sorry if there are any mistakes in there or if I kind of wrote something weird. I noticed I started to write down the dreams I was having while half asleep...very strange feeling. Anyway, I changed this from Cider to Mulled Wine... I don't quite get what Cider does in a Christmas fic but mulled wine is yummy so yeah and I feel like I've had three bottles of it yet I had none.. Tired drunk... Okay, I'm off or I'll start blabbing... _

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**Day 12 – Mulled Wine**

"Please don't scream…" the Doctor moaned in the late morning as he tried to get up.

"I'm not. You just have a hangover."

"I don't get hangovers, Rose. And you're shouting at me again. Why are you shouting? Are you mad at me?"

"I was. Believe me I was. But you really don't drink alcohol that often and you have no idea how your human body works yet so I forgave you somewhere between the hall and the bathroom where you almost missed the toilet."

"I did? I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

"I know, you said so last night. Now come on, lie back down again, I'll make you something to eat."

"No, I'm not hungry."  
Rose shook her head at him and went to the kitchen to make some scrambled eggs with toast and bacon and soon the smell filled the whole apartment. It elicited the Doctor out of the comfort of his bed because it smelled really good and he did feel hungry after all.

"Did I say I was sorry?"

"Multiple times, Doctor."

"Well, I'm sorry," he repeated and then sat down.

Rose placed a huge glass of water in front of him that he emptied in almost one go.

"I didn't even know I was thirsty…"

"You did the same thing last night."

"Rose, I don't remember a thing from last night. What happened?"

"You had too much Eggnog to drink, some of the trainees from the research department got very attached to you and you played along. Oh yeah, we're in the news – again. They're wondering if the happy relationship we first portrayed might not be so happy after all. 'John Smith seemed not only very interested in the young brunette but he also seemed to be mocking his current girlfriend Rose Tyler, adopted daughter of Pete Tyler, founder of Vitex and manager of Torchwood Institute and Jackie Tyler.'," she recited a bit gloomy.

"You are angry."

"Not at you, you idiot. I'm angry at the press. I never wanted to be this rich guy's kid who had to watch her every step and whose private life was being discussed in public. They should just leave us in peace."

The Doctor listened attentively – it still sounded like shouting though – and he tried to think of a solution while eating the scrambled eggs on toast and bacon.

"How about I will never wear black suits again?"

It made Rose grin a bit.

"It's worth a try, I guess," she sighed.

"Maybe we can do something in public together so they can see that we are happy."

"Are we?"

He looked up from his meal; her words had taken him by surprise.

"Why would you say that?"

"You had a great time last night. A better time than we've had in a while and maybe it's what you need more…"

"Rose, I don't remember the fun I had last night but I remember the fun I had when it started to snow and we ran through it and promised each other another forever. I also remember our trip to the Christmas-market eating chips. And the ice rink even though I was terrible, I mean, I still had a great time because I was there with you. There's one thing that will never change with me and that is that I need you more than anything else in my now human life."

Rose smiled at him, her head resting on her hands.

"Those were some pretty lovely days…" she mused. "I also think the alcohol is starting to wear off. You can speak clearly again."

The Doctor noticed that too and laughed. "Ouch…that still hurts…" he mumbled.

The two of them spent the day at home, recovering from the night at the party before. They pulled the plug for the phone, put their mobiles on silent, took out the battery for the doorbell and then turned the telly on and watched Christmas-y films for the rest of the day.

They were wrapped up in blankets on the sofa, both of them going in and out of sleep.

It was already pitch black outside by something like 5pm and Rose decided that it was time to get some of the mulled wine out, so she heated it on the stove and the smell made the Doctor wake up.

"Mulled wine?" he asked and she nodded.

"Would you like some?"

He bobbled his head to see whether the headache was still there but it wasn't so the Doctor nodded for confirmation.

A couple of minutes later they were sitting together on the couch again, Rose leaning against his strong chest and both of them sipping hot mulled wine that warmed them from within.

"Just don't drink too much, will you…" she joked and got a grunt from the Doctor as an answer.

"I've had enough of a hangover to last me a lifetime," he said decidedly, "As much as this wine is enjoyable, I do want a clear head tomorrow or actually, all the time. It's quite interesting to see where my limits are though. I think it's lower than it used to be, much lower. Oh well…"

Rose laughed and he joined. She felt the vibrations in his chest and closed her eyes after setting her cup down on the coffee table.

"Promise me you'll behave from now on."

"Rose Tyler, I'd promise anything to you."


End file.
